Classification Society

Summary of Classification Society

An organization that establishes standards for the construction of vessels and certifies vessels as having met the requirements of a given class. The principal classification societies and the cities in which they are based are as follows: American Bureau of Shipping, New York; Det Norske Veritas, Hovik, Norway; Lloyd's Register, London; Bureau Veritas, Paris; Germanisher Lloyd, Hamburg; Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, Tokyo; Polski Registr Statkow, Gdansk, Poland; Registro Italiano Navale, Genoa; USSR Register of Shipping, Leningrad; DDR-Schiffs-Revision und Klassifikation, East Berlin; Jugoslavenski Register Brodova, Split, Yugo-slavia; Korean Register of Shipping, Seoul.

(Main Author: William J. Miller)